Hope from Within
by gopherfool
Summary: SG1 finds a book describing an acended being that has returned to their galaxy as a human who may be able to help them fight the Ori. Yet their search causes them to overlook the very being they seek. When they learn the truth, will it be too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Text**

The bookkeeper was an old man. Old, and very cautious. He had seen a lot throughout the years, and he had learned that knowledge was both a great power and a great weakness. He also knew that his books held very powerful knowledge. As a bookkeeper, he had been entrusted with the safeguarding of this knowledge. Because of this, he took his job very seriously.

So, when five individuals that had tried but failed miserably, to hide military garb underneath peasant clothes, he was, well, less than forthcoming with the answers they requested.

"One more time," one of the two, light-brown haired men asked him with a very obscure accent, "we're told you've got a book about the Altarians. We just want to buy it. Isn't that what you do?"

"I do not _sell_ books. I guard them for future generations of this planet to learn from!" The old man tried to hide the sweat forming on his brow. Certain bulges under the peasant tatters looked something like weapons – he didn't want to be shot. Then again, who did these days?

"Sir," the other brown-haired man, this one with glasses stepped forward, "we are, technically, 'future generations' – kind of. And we do want to learn from them – just as people from this planet would."

"Indeed," a dark man added from the corner. The bookkeeper wasn't sure, seeing as his forehead was covered, but he looked a bit like a Jaffa; he had scene pictures of them in his books. His large muscles were very intimidating. More sweat came.

The old man regarded them all suspiciously. He had no intention of sharing these books with these outsiders. Especially the one they asked for. That one was special.

It was a firsthand account from one of the Altarians – someone witnessed an ascension of an Altarian – a very wise and strong one. Even more importantly, the book had been added to about 200 years ago, when the same ascended being returned to this galaxy, on this plane of existence.

That knowledge was too valuable to be used for _military_ purposed. He would not let it be soiled like that – never.

The blonde woman, who had been identified as "Sam" by one of her companions previously, spoke up.

"Please, it's very important that we see this. Have you heard of the Ori?"

The bookkeeper gulped. He had definitely read plenty about the Ori. The book of Origin was in his possession, as were several journals from that galaxy. Both the Ori and their devoted followers terrified him – much more than these soldiers ever could.

"Yes I have. Why do you speak of them?"

"They have invaded this galaxy. We have seen their power, and we have seen the destruction that they are capable of. We think that in this book we are requesting, there may be some information about the Altarians that could help use defeat them. So far, it seems that Ancient technology is the only thing that might defeat them."

"I know you have no reason to, but you need to trust us." the man with the glasses added, "We wouldn't use this knowledge for selfish reasons. But we do need it – it's our only hope."

The bookkeeper weighed the options. If what they were saying were true, then he would give them the book in an instant. But if it were false, then they would have, in their hands, the key to a very powerful force.

Then again, the being that the book refers to would not allow themselves to be easily taken over or used for, well, evil reasons.

The bookkeeper looked into the eyes behind the spectacles. There was something wise- something honest about them. He decided to take a chance.

"I will give you the book. But if you try to use the force described within it to gain power not meant to be yours, it will destroy you."

* * *

**Back at SGC . . .**

Vala whistled through the hallways of SGC, skipping happily to the Gateroom. Her Daniel was coming back today from some mission on some far-off primitive planet. She was ecstatic, elated, and all those other words that meant incredibly happy.

"Where, may I ask, are you going, Miss Mal Doran?"

Her heart sank into her gut, and she turned, plastering a toothy grin on her face, and faced General Landry.

"General! Care to escort me to the Gateroom." She linked arms with him, but he shrugged her off.

"You, if I remember correctly, are not supposed to be out of your quarters." He frowned slightly. "As a matter of fact, didn't I assign a guard to your room…"

"Oh, he got all tired out," she fibbed, and let the sexual innuendo hang in the air as the General shifted uncomfortable.

"Well, you're going right back there. You, officer!" he yelled to a passing soldier. "Escort Miss Mal Doran back to her room.

Vala decided to change tactics.

"But sir," she sniffed, tears running freely on command, "I just miss Daniel so much. I mean, I've been so lonely." She sniffled for effect, and continued. "There's no one to talk to, and a girl can only take so much sex before even that becomes boring…"

The soldier averted his eyes, becoming very interested with the floor, then the ceiling. General Landry looked at him curiously. Vala, stepping out of character for a second, winked at him, and then continued the waterworks.

"Offworld Activation," rang though the halls. The General sighed – he didn't have time for this.

"Fine," he surrendered, knowing when giving up was a tactical move, and continuing the battle was just stupid. "But stay off the ramp."

Vala grinned, and bounced happily towards the Gateroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I forgot to mention this in the first chapter:

_ This fanfiction is dedicated to leuska_**  
**

**Chapter 2: The Discovery is Shared**

**In the Briefing Room at SGC...**

"This is _so_ boring!"

All members of SG-1 looked up at Vala. She pouted at them.

"No one said you had to be here, Vala," Daniel replied tersely; he was anxious to brief Gen. Landry on the book they had found and the information inside it.

"Oh, puh-lease!" she replied dramatically, "in my cell – sorry, _room_, it's just so dull. At least here, I can be near my Daniel-"

"I'm not your Daniel," he corrected quietly, knowing what he said wouldn't stop this latest tirade.

"And I am awfully curious about what's inside this book," she continued, oblivious to what Daniel had said. "The gate builders are just fascinating. Aren't they, Daniel?"

"Yes, yes," he replied, looking for the General, who should be coming any minute-

"Okay, what's the latest on the book?" The General moved into the room, and slid into the chair. Everyone looked expectantly at Daniel.

Daniel moved to the front of the room, where he had a slideshow prepared.

Vala groaned, but silenced by a look from the General. Cam hid a smirk.

"Well," Daniel began. Vala tried to look interested, then yawned. Tealc looked on disapprovingly.

"The text in the book is written in Ancient, and describes what we suspected it would – an account of an actual ascension of one of the Altarians. Vala, your source was right about that."

"Where did you find whoever told you, anyways?" Cam interrupted, turning to Vala. Daniel glared daggers into the back of his neck.

"I've been around," she replied mysteriously, and finished with a suggestive wink. Cam blushed, but looked away at a "hum-hum" of the General's.

"Anyways," Daniel said loudly, and everyone faced him guiltily, "the text actually does much more than that. It goes on to describe who the being was, in minimal detail, and the circumstances of the ascension."

"Really?" the General leaned forward.

"It says she was a woman, about the age of twenty-five or so. Which I thought was unusual, since most Ancients that we are familiar with were much older than that before they could achieve ascension.

"The woman was also an outcast of society; she lived very liberally. However, the author claims her intelligence was exceptionally high, regardless of her, well, less-then proper lifestyle. Rather, he describes her living for the moment and such."

"Wait," Cam interrupted, "I thought that the Ancients devoted their lives to studying and enlightening themselves. How could this person, whoever she is, have ascended if she didn't work toward enlightenment and stuff?"

"That's what's so remarkable about this," Daniel continued, now furiously clicking the slideshow, revealing a jumble of text no one but he could understand. The tempo of his voice increased. "She seemed to have discovered a path to enlightenment that was completely different than science and philosophy. That secret alone is worth finding her."

"Wait," Landry held up a hand. "What do you mean, "finding her"? She's ascended, hasn't she? The Ancients have made it pretty damn clear that they won't interfere with our problems."

"That's the most important thing." Daniel clicked the projector excitedly, revealing a page of text. "She came back."

"What?" Sam gasped.

Tealc looked at him. "Are you sure, DanielJackson?"

"Positive. This passage is written by a different person. It tells of the decent of the Ancient, who managed to take on human form once more, but as an immortal who managed to retain all of her knowledge. In theory, she is still around today, carrying with her the secrets she learned as an Ascended Being."

"So we find her to discover the secrets of being immortal," Vala said with delight, her eyes glittering with possibilities. Daniel rolled his eyes at her selfishness.

"No," he groaned, "with her knowledge, we could defeat the Ori before they've even begun to attack us. It seems inevitable that they will come into our galaxy in large numbers sooner or later."

"You're no fun," she huffed, and she leaned back in her chair.

"So you're telling me that somewhere, in this galaxy, there is a immortal, former-ascended being that has all the knowledge still inside of her of when she was ascended." General Laundry looked at Daniel with doubt.

"According to the text. And the text has too much evidence proven by other volumes we've collected to be incorrect. The people who wrote this are definitely telling the truth."

"How in the world did they manage to put this in the same book?" Cam wondered aloud.

"Well, that's simple," Daniel dismissed, "the book was in a library on the planet the being came from. It was only removed in recent centuries."

"Well, if that's all, Dr. Jackson," Landry announced, "then I suggest you keep studying it, and find me where this being is. I want to move on this, and fast."

* * *

**In Daniel's Study…**

Vala opened the door slightly, and looked in on Daniel. He was hunched over the volume, magnifying glass in hand, and multiple coffee cups set beside him.

Looking closely, she realized he wasn't actually hunched over – he was asleep. The magnifying glass dangled loosely from him palm.

She moved in quietly, and pulled the book out from under him. He groaned once, but then quieted once more.

She flipped through the pages silently, stopping at pictures and diagrams. She stopped at a full page portrait of a woman. Judging by the thin line of dust coating that page, she concluded that Daniel had not yet reached it. She flipped the page over. There was not text on the other side.

Silent as a thief, she cleaning tore the page out from the book, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.

She stole back to her room, clutching the page in her hand, with her heart beating hard and fast.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stargate Command Center**

"But Dan-iel…"

Dr. Jackson groaned as he heard the ever predictable, very familiar, but eternally annoying voice – Vala. He tried to look for an escape route, somewhere he could hide until _it_ went away, but alas…

Her latest request was to go on a mission with him. Not that she cared about the culture of the new planet, or the language, or the history; she just wanted to go with _him_, to annoy _him_. Though normally he would relish in the idea of three days with the constant chatter of the thief (not!), he, and luckily the general as well, thought it would be safer for all parties involved if she didn't attend after her little _sticky fingers mishap_ on the last mission.

But he had to convince Vala of this – which would be about as effective as convincing a stonewall.

"For the last time! You're not going on any more off-world expeditions until such a time when the facility's psychiatrist deems you cleared of your apparent kleptomania."

"Oh, pluh-lease," she waved dismissively, "it's not that bad. Just a few itsy-bitsy mistakes. Besides, it's not my fault. Those people practically begged me to steal it, the way they were flaunting it about…"

"YOU STOLE THE ROYAL CROWN OFF THE KING'S HEAD ON P-3744!"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Cam remarked as he passed the arguing couple, "trouble with the girlfriend?"

"She is _not_ my girlfriend," Daniel seethed. Cam grinned as he disseapeared into the locker room to prep for the mission.

The mission Vala was no going on if he had any say in the matter. Which he did. Theoretically.

But somehow, about thirty minutes later, he found himself walking through the 'gate next to a very smug Vala Mal Doran…

**

* * *

**

**In a dark, poorly lit cave (full of Ancient writing) somewhere on P-3899...**

"Well, this is boring."

"You didn't need to come. Actually, I begged you not to."

"Don't be so dramatic, dear."

"I'm not being dramatic. I foresaw this situation exactly. As soon as you realized there was no way you were stealing anything, you would be bored out of your mind, and would be able to think of no other pastime than to slowly drive me insane."

"Oh, you're such a drama king."

"Drama queen."

"Daniel! Is there something your not telling me? I mean, it's not that I wouldn't go for that, but-"

Daniel began to sputter almost incoherently. "Vala! No! The saying goes 'Drama queen.' I'm not…I didn't mean… Oh, never mind."

The two suddenly heard Sam from outside the cave.

"You too better stop arguing, because we've got company!"

"Oh, yay! Some action!"

With that said, Vala darted out of the cave with her characteristic impish grin.

"Vala!"

**

* * *

**

**Outside the Cave...**

The two emerged from the cave to the sound of automatics firing and 'zats crackling. Daniel rushed to help the other, but Vala suddenly realized she had to hang back. To her dismay, she had not been allowed a weapon yet.

SG-1's foes were about seven or eight heavily armed men, all in metal plating and wearing the Ori crest. If it weren't for the explorers tactical location behind trees and rocks, the group of Ori soldiers would have finished them off at the very beginning of the fight. They had superior weapons, and better aim. It wasn't long before SG-01 determined this as well.

"We need to get back to the 'gate!" Cam yelled over the deafening sounds of battle.

"I concur, ColonelMitchell." Teal'c responded in between grunts and gunfire.

"Wait," Jackons called out, as they all were about to move towards the stargate, "where's Vala?"

"She was there a second ago," Sam exclaimed, trying to stay focused on taking out a particularly dangerous soldier, who had already cracked the rock she was positioned behind, "I just saw her!"

"Well, wherever she is, she's probably a hell of a lot safer that we are," Cam bellowed as a fiery blat whizzed by his heat. "Whoa! Sweet baby Jesus!"

Then, however, something strange happened. Something _very_ strange.

All of the soldiers, as well as the rocks and trees that they had been hiding behind, just disappeared, as if they had only been holograms, or projections. No damage or evidence of the fight remained.

Vala was still nowhere to be seen.


End file.
